All The Ways You Attract Wasps To Your Nashville Property
All it takes is one sting. After that, you know not to mess with wasps again. Unfortunately, as they hunt for food and build their nests, wasps might become difficult to avoid on your property, and the thought of that painful sting becomes inescapable. But you might be attracting wasps to your property without even realizing it. So, reducing the population of wasps can be as easy as knowing the ways you attract wasps to your Nashville property.
About Wasps In Nashville
Unlike their cousins the bees, most species of wasps are solitary, rather than social, insects. A few common species of wasps do build large nests of many individuals and can become a problem for property owners.
Paper wasps: The name “paper wasps” refers to several species of similar wasps. They are known to build small umbrella-shaped nests that have a papery or wooden appearance. Paper wasps are social insects but have no hierarchy in their society. They tend to have brown or yellow coloring and measure between 5/8 and 3/4 inch in length.
Yellow jackets: A common stinging insect throughout the United States, yellow jackets have a black and yellow striped pattern on their bodies and typically measure about 1/2 inch in length. They resemble other species of wasps but are recognizable for their tiny cinched waist. A large yellow jacket nest can contain thousands of individuals and can either be underground or above ground.
Wasps can be dangerous, especially to children and pets. Yellow jackets are slow to agitate, but become very territorial around their nest, resulting in a series of blistering stings. Although a sting from a wasp is usually not medically significant, those who are allergic to wasps are at serious risk.
What Attracts Wasps?
Wasps are constantly on the hunt for food and your property might be the buffet they’re after. To feed their larvae, wasps hunt live insects for their young. So, having a large insect population on your property can attract wasps. But the meat doesn’t have to be live, and wasps will gladly grab a bite of your burger or hot dog to bring back to the nest.
As the summer season ends, wasps turn their attention to sweeter foods. Many wasp species die out over the winter and gorge themselves on sugar in the fall season. So, certain plants like Queen Anne’s lace, sweet fennel, and spearmint attract wasps as well as many flowers and fruit-bearing trees. Even beer and soft drinks can attract wasps, which is why they often make an appearance at cookouts and barbecues.
How To Keep Wasps Off Your Property
The good news is that there are several things you can do to keep wasps away from your property:
- Reduce harborage areas. Try to eliminate the areas where wasps build their nests. Repair damaged panels or siding where wasps like to build their nests. Fill any holes in the ground with gravel or soil. Check window screens for tears and repair as needed to keep wasps from coming indoors.
- Maintain a clean yard. Make sure that trash and food waste don’t accumulate outdoors. Store garbage in receptacles with tight-fitting lids and clean up any spills or discarded food immediately.
- Use natural repellent. If you’ve got a green thumb, consider planting some wasp-repellent vegetation. Tasty herbs like basil, lemongrass, and thyme are all known to repel wasps if planted in your garden.
While there are plenty of ways you can reduce the presence of wasps on your property, taking on an infestation of wasps on your own is not a good idea. For the best solution to your wasp problem in Nashville, contact the experts at Urbanex. With both residential and commercial pest control plans available, we will eliminate your wasp problem and the bugs they prey on. We’ll treat your property to prevent future infestations with complimentary retreatment available in the unlikely event that your wasps return. For relief from wasps on your property, get in touch with us today.
Request Your Free Inspection
Complete the form below to schedule your no obligation inspection.